Qingdao sees foreign trade up 2.7% in H1

Containers are unloaded at Qingdao Port in Shandong province. [Photo by Yu Fangping/For China Daily]

Qingdao's imports and exports volume rose by 2.7 percent year-on-year to 410.06 billion yuan ($60.81 billion) from January to June, accounting for 26.1 percent of the province's total in the period, according to Qingdao Customs.

The eastern coastal city's exports climbed 9.8 percent to 240.65 billion yuan, while imports were down 6 percent to 169.41 billion yuan.

Among the 15 sub-provincial cities in China, the foreign trade value of Qingdao ranked fifth after Shenzhen, Ningbo, Guangzhou and Xiamen.

In June, Qingdao's imports and exports volume totaled 71.76 billion yuan, down 12.5 percent year-on-year.

During this period, the city's general trade imports and exports reached 275.26 billion yuan, up 0.4 percent, and accounted for 67.1 percent of the city's total.

Private enterprises continue to dominate the city's foreign trade market. During this period, the value of imports and exports of private enterprises in Qingdao reached 277.92 billion yuan, up 4.2 percent, and accounted for 67.8 percent of the city's total.

Imports and exports of foreign-invested enterprises reached 76.88 billion yuan, down 8.3 percent, and the foreign trade value of State-owned enterprises stood at 55.1 billion yuan, up 15.1 percent.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was the city's largest trade partner, with the total trade value between Qingdao and ASEAN members amounting to 68.44 billion yuan, up 0.3 percent year-on-year.

The city's trade value with countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative totaled 132.35 billion yuan, up 4.2 percent. Its trade with other RCEP members reached 156.31 billion yuan, which stood at the same figure as last year, and its trade with other SCO member states amounted to 24.37 billion yuan, up 13.7 percent.